@strngr12 As has been stated in a previous reply, they don't intervene until there is a confirmed 70% blockage. Meanwhile, you may take years to get much closer with lifestyle and medicine prescriptions, which generally are much better and less risky that opening arteries and scraping their linings....which are already damaged due to the inflammation that encouraged the plaque in the first place. In case it's news, the plaque doesn't accumulate like fat in your drain pipes. It isn't up against the endothelial lining. Instead, its underneath, in what is called the 'lumen.' So 'scraping', as you can imagine, is not something done easily.

@strngr12 I believe scraping plaque in the coronary arteries is rarely used. I believe there are methods to remove coronary artery plaque, but the veins are so small and in such an important area, I believe it's pretty risky. They do it when the calcifications inhibit the stent. I've heard of lots of people getting stents, but never heard of anyone getting calcifications drilled out. They scrape carotid arteries because they are much larger and there is redundancy that can feed the brain.

A stent just compresses soft plaque and helps keep the vein open. Stents can get plaque as well. So there's no real reason to put it in before it's needed. I gather that there aren't problems with blood supply when there is a less than 70%-ish blockage.

Even bypasses have a finite life. Regardless, like everything, they wait until you are in more danger (statistically) from the blockages than the surgery that would address them.

I still kind of wish my cardiologist would give me a treadmill test and/or a CT angiogram periodically. I'd really rather catch a decline in function before it causes symptoms.